Content about Animal welfare

The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) is urging people to take action to protect animals from wildlife crime and the illegal wildlife trade this World Wildlife Day (Tuesday 3 March)

Animals are exploited all over the world – from small exotic birds to mighty elephants – for financial gain.

The global industry of illegal wildlife trade is estimated to be worth more than £12.3 billion ($19 billion USD). In some extreme cases, profits from this trade are being used to fund ongoing acts of violence on humans and trade of other illegal goods and services.

The animal sanctuary that has agreed to take Benjy the gay bull so that he did not go to the slaughterhouse plans to sterilize him when he arrives just in case he secretly swings both ways

A same-sex attracted Irish bull that became the center of an international crowdfunding campaign to save him from being slaughtered is going to be given ‘the snip’ when he arrives in England next month,

Hillside Animal Sanctuary in Norwich sterilizes all of the animals it agrees to take in to stop them from breeding as if they did it would prevent the shelter from taking in more adult animals that needed housing.

Animals make us fitter in our bodies and minds, help the most vulnerable and even unite communities

Most people like to think of themselves as animal lovers. Turns out animals return that love many times over, not just with wagging tales and cuddles but with a real contribution to our health and happiness as proven by numerous studies.

1 Fit and happy
Pet owners exhibited greater self-esteem, were more physically fit, were less lonely, were more conscientious and socially outgoing, and had healthier relationship styles (they were less fearful and less preoccupied) than non-owners, according to a 2011 study.

And meet the other selfless animal heroes who picked up IFAW awards this week

Imagine sharing your home with 20 dogs, many of them maimed by horrific injuries. That’s daily life for a lesbian couple from Manchester, north-west England, who save dogs from Bulgaria and Cyprus who would otherwise be killed.

Emma Billington (pictured below) started as a dog walker and set up her dog crèche, Daycare4dogs, seven years ago.

Her dream was to use the profits to rescue and rehome injured and cruelly-treated dogs from overseas.

Find out how people in the UK, from Queen guitarist Brian May to concerned locals, are taking a stand against the controversial killing of hundreds of badgers this year

There’s a battle between those that care about animal welfare and some farmers and politicians in the UK who support a controversial badger cull.

At the center of that battle are hundreds of badgers that are being killed as part of a pilot cull this month in an effort to stem the spread of bovine tuberculosis (bTB).

For years, some farmers have blamed badgers for the spread of bovine tuberculosis (bTB), a disease which mainly affects cattle. Although humans can contract it from eating infected meat or drinking infected milk, the risk of human infection is low.

New partnership with IFAW will raise animal welfare awareness to Gay Star News readers across the globe during Animal Month and beyond

Take a walk on the wild side in October as Gay Star News teams up with the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) for Animal Month.

Throughout October and beyond, we will be exploring some of the various issues that IFAW is tackling around the world in order to protect wildlife and domestic animals, from elephant poaching in Africa to whaling in Iceland and working with impoverished communities to improve the welfare of cats and dogs.